Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of dismantling the democratic gains symbolised by the historic June 12 struggle.
In a strongly worded statement released on his verified social media handles, Atiku said Nigeria is drifting dangerously into what he described as a “creeping one-party dictatorship,” adding that the sacrifices of June 12 heroes are being undermined by a government bent on domination and economic repression.
“The gains of June 12 were hard-won. But sadly, the democratic promise that blossomed in 1999 is being steadily dismantled before our very eyes,” Atiku lamented.
Marking the 31st anniversary of the annulled 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, the former Vice President said the current administration’s policies and conduct run contrary to the spirit of June 12.
“Those who laid down their lives did not do so for Nigerians to groan under the yoke of authoritarianism and economic suffocation,” he said.
Atiku accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of silencing opposition voices, weaponising institutions of state, and diverting national resources to cronies and associates of the President.
“National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate,” he said.
He also decried what he described as the entrenchment of elite privilege at the expense of the common Nigerian, warning that the democratic order for which Nigerians fought in the 1990s is under serious threat.
According to him, the current regime “represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey,” adding that policies are no longer designed to empower citizens, but rather to instill fear and obedience.
On the future of the country’s democracy, Atiku called for unity among opposition forces, declaring that a broad coalition is already in motion to resist the perceived descent into authoritarianism.
“The ongoing effort to build a broad, united opposition front is not about power for power’s sake. It is a moral imperative… to ensure that no one, no matter how powerful, is allowed to privatise the state and reduce the people to pawns in their political chess game.”
He described the coalition as a “moral crusade” aimed at liberating Nigeria’s economy and democracy from the grip of “authoritarian forces,” urging citizens to rise in defence of their freedom and dignity.
“As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on—not just as memory, but as movement,” he declared. “The time to rise is now.”
Atiku further recalled the optimism that surrounded the 1993 elections, noting that the struggle for democracy then was driven by hopes that Nigeria would emerge as a beacon of liberty and justice on the African continent.
He warned that the choice before the nation today is stark: democratic renewal or a descent into despotism.
“Nigeria must choose: the path of democratic renewal or the dark alley of despotism,” he said.
As Nigerians commemorate June 12, Atiku’s remarks come as a stark reminder that the struggle for democracy, in his view, is far from over.
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